Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [134]
Information
Banks, and other services line Hamngatan.
Forex (ferry terminal; 8am-9.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-9.30pm Sat & Sun) Money exchange.
Library (Surbrunnsvägen 12; 11am-7pm Mon-Thu, 11am-5pm Fri, 10am-2pm Sat) Free internet access.
Tourist office (57 76 81; www.ystad.se; St Knuts Torg; 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun mid-Jun–mid-Aug; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri mid-Aug–mid-Jun;, plus 11am-2pm Sat mid-May–mid-Jun & late Aug–late Sep) Just opposite the train station; it also offers free internet access.
Sights
Half-timbered houses are scattered liberally round town, especially on Stora Östergatan. Most date from the latter half of the 18th century, although the facade of beautiful Änglahuset on Stora Norregatan originates from around 1630.
Don’t miss the Sankta Maria Kyrka (Stortorget; 10am-6pm Jun-Aug, 10am-4pm Sep-May). Ever since 1250, a night watchman has blown his horn through the little window in the church clock tower (every 15 minutes from 9.15pm to 3am). The watchman was traditionally beheaded if he dozed off! Among the highlights are a 17th-century baroque pulpit, along with a line of pews near the entrance for women who had recently given birth and hadn’t yet been churched. Latinskolan, next to Sankta Maria Kyrka, is a late-15th-century brick building and the oldest preserved school in Scandinavia.
Klostret i Ystad (57 72 86; St Petri Kyrkoplan; adult/under 16yr Skr50/free; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, noon-4pm Sat & Sun Jun-Aug, noon-5pm Tue-Fri, noon-4pm Sat & Sun Sep-May), in the Middle Ages Franciscan monastery of Gråbrödraklostret, features local textiles and silverware. The monastery includes the 13th-century deconsecrated Sankt Petri Kyrkan (now used for art exhibitions), which has around 80 gravestones from the 14th to 18th centuries. Included in the same ticket, and with the same opening hours, is the Ystads Konstmuseum (57 72 85; St Knuts Torg). In the same building as the tourist office, its savvy collection of southern Swedish and Danish art includes work by the great Per Kirkeby.
For fetching interiors, pop into Charlotte Berlins Museum (188 66; Dammgatan 23; adult/under 16yr Skr10/free; noon-5pm Mon-Fri, noon-4pm Sat & Sun Jun-Aug), which is a late-19th-century middle-class abode.
Sleeping
Travellers with their own wheels can select from the B&B and cabin options along the scenic coastal roads on either side of Ystad. The tourist office can arrange B&B accommodation for around Skr600 to Skr800 per double room.
STF Vandrarhem Ystad (665 66; kantarellen@turistlogi.se; Fritidsvägen 9; dm Skr170) In a charming sky-blue building, this beachside hostel has good facilities for travellers, including bike rental for covering the 2km into the town centre.
Sandskogens Camping (192 70; info@sandskogenscamping.se; sites low/high season Skr175/220, cabins from Skr420-520; May-Sep) This super-friendly (and super-busy) wooded site is 2km east of Ystad on Rd 9 to Simrishamn, across the road from the beach and STF hostel. Bus 572 drives past from town.
Vandrarhemmet Stationen (0708-57 79 95; ystad.stationen@home.se; dm from Skr200) More convenient is the central SVIF hostel, in the renovated railway building at Ystad train station. Bring cash as credit cards aren’t accepted.
Hotell Bäckagården (198 48; www.backagarden.nu; Dammgatan 36; s/d from Skr620/750; ) Exuding a warm and homely feel, this cosy guesthouse occupies a 17th-century home one block behind the tourist office. The lovely walled garden is perfect for sunny breakfasts.
Sekelgården Hotel (739 00; info@sekelgarden.se; Långgatan 18; s/d from Skr795/995; ) A romantic family-run hotel in a superb half-timbered house (1793), the rooms here take their inspiration from historical styles or people. There’s also a sauna and gorgeous courtyard.
Hotell Continental (137 00; www.hotelcontinental-ystad.se; Hamngatan 13; s incl breakfast Skr840-1290, d incl breakfast Skr940-1595; ) On the site of the old customs house, the Continental is reputedly Sweden’s oldest hotel,